Dendrimeric peptides, pharmaceutical compositions and methods of using the same

ABSTRACT

Novel dendrimeric peptide compounds are disclosed that have a formula represented by the following formula I: 
     
       
         
         
             
             
         
       
     
     The compounds demonstrate antimicrobial activity and may be prepared as pharmaceutical compositions and used for the prevention and treatment of a variety of conditions in mammals including humans where microbial invasion is involved. The present peptides are particularly valuable as their effect is rapid, broad in spectrum and mostly indifferent to resistance provoked by standard antibiotics.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/931,317 filed May 22, 2007, thecontents of which application is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

This invention was made at least in part, with government support underGrant No. N00014-03-1-0129 awarded by the Office of Naval Research.Accordingly, the United States Government has certain rights in theinvention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to novel compositions containing active peptides,and particularly, such peptides as demonstrate antimicrobial, antifungalor antiviral activity. The invention also relates to methods for thepreparation of the peptide compositions, and their use in preventingand/or treating conditions resulting from the unwanted presence ofmicrobial, fungal or viral activity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For the last few decades it has been known that a wide range ofantimicrobial peptides are secreted by all manner of multicellularorganisms in response to infection by foreign viruses, bacteria orfungi. Current research focuses on the mechanism by which the peptideskill, and synthetic design strategies which can enhance the activity ofthe peptides to a useful therapeutic level.

A wide range of antimicrobial peptides is secreted in plants and animalsto challenge attack by foreign viruses, bacteria or fungi (Boman, 2003).These form part of the innate immune in response to infection, which isshort term and fast acting relative to humoral immunity (Medzhitov,2000). These cationic antimicrobial peptides have been considered asprospective antibiotics agents because their effect is rapid, broadspectrum and indifferent to resistance to standard antibiotics such aspenicillins (Fischetti, 2003; Hancock, 1999). However, their successthus far has been limited, and is believed to be due to the requirementthat they be present in a fairly high concentration to achieve killing(Hancock, 2000, PNAS), which is believed to exert a potentiallycytotoxic effect on human erythrocytes as well as other cells andtissues. For these reasons current applications of these peptides aremostly topical.

Hundreds of such antimicrobial peptides have been studied extensively inorder to understand the relationship between the structural features ofthe peptides and their antimicrobial activity, for the purpose ofdesigning a new generation of antibiotics. Such known antimicrobialpeptides are listed at (http://aps.unmc.edu/AP/database/antiV.php) andthe content and disclosure of this site is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. Representative peptides listed at the siteare set forth hereinbelow by way of illustration and not limitation.Known antimicrobial peptides differ strikingly in size, sequence andstructure, sharing only amphipathicity and positive charge (Hancock,1999; Zasloff, 2002). While the external cell wall may be the initialtarget, several lines of evidence suggest that antimicrobial peptidesact by lysing bacterial membranes. Cells become permeable followingexposure to peptides, and their membrane potential is correspondinglyreduced. While the actual target and mode of action of antimicrobialpeptides are incompletely understood, proposed models emphasize the needto coat or cover a significant part of the membrane in order to producea lethal effect. In “barrel-stave” models, several peptide monomers needto bind before formation of an aggregate that inserts itself into thebilayer to form a transmembrane pore. (Ehrenstein, 1977). In a somewhatdifferent view, known as the “carpet model,” peptide monomers must coatthe target membrane surface extensively before sections of the membranesplit off as vesicles, thereby destroying the integrity of the membrane(Shai, 2001). Both mechanisms account for the observed thresholdconcentration required for peptides to achieve lethality differently. Inmany cases this threshold is close to that for inflicting damage on hostcells or tissues, as detected by hemolysis assays for example. Thuspeptides have not found wide applications except as topical agents.

Several strategies have been pursued in efforts to increase theeffectiveness of antimicrobial peptides (Tam, 2002; Janiszewska, 2003;Tam, 2000; Dathe, 2004; Tang, 1999; Dempsey, 2003; Epand, 2004; Papo,2004). Sequence changes in natural peptides can notably reduce hemolysiswhile preserving activity (Staubitz). Inserting unnatural D-amino acidsor beta-amino acids into peptide sequences, combinatorial designs basedon linear or cyclic sequences (Houghton, Ghadiri), synthetic chemicalmimetics (DeGrado, Tew), and multivalent dendrimeric constructs of shortpeptides (Janiszewska, 2003; Xing, 2003) are other alternatives. In somecases improved solubility, salt resistance, stability and toxicity havebeen reported, with some reduction in IC₅₀ (Tam, 2002).

Accordingly, many different designs for therapeutics have been reported,seeking to develop or improve activity under physiological conditions,low toxicity and proteolytic stability. Among promising approaches,polyvalent or multivalent antimicrobial polymers offers promise forenhancing the efficacy of existing antimicrobial monomer peptide andminimizing the problems accompanying conventional antimicrobial peptidesby reducing the toxicity of the residue, increasing their efficiency andselectivity, and prolonging the lifetime of the effect. Especially,these include their ability to amplify cationic charges and hydrophobicclusters as the number of monomer increases. (Tam, 2002). For example,the multivalency of peptides incorporated with fragments of knownantibacterial peptides in dendrimers has appeared to demonstrate goodactivity in the design of membranolytic peptides for therapeuticapplications (Tam, 2002).

In this connection, U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,490 to Tam discloses aparticular polymeric construction formed by the binding of multipleantigens to a dendritic core or backbone, the objective of which is topotentiate the concentration of antigen within a more economical andefficient molecule. While this construction has demonstrated advantages,greater activity and corresponding stability of the construct is stillan important objective that is not fulfilled therein.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,679,653 to Schuck et al. discloses the preparation anduse of polymer-based protein complexes, and particularly, relates to thepreparation of such complexes with hormones such as bovine growthhormone, insulin and the like. Schuck et al. however, prepare complexeswith full length native hormones, and bind the native material to thepolymer backbone for the purpose of improving the delivery andavailability of such hormones. The inventors qualify that the level ofactivity of the resulting complexes are somewhat uncertain, and in anyevent, do not represent that any dramatic improvements in such activityare either anticipated or realized.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been proposed as prospectiveantibiotic agents because of their ability to rapidly inactivate a widerange of microorganisms including Gram-positive and negative bacteria,fungi and some viruses. In many cases they are indifferent to currentmulti-drug resistant strains (Hancock and Chapple 1999; Lehrer and Ganz1999).

From the above, it remains that a continuing need exists for thedevelopment of modalities that can deliver effective antibiotic peptidesin a manner that confers both improved stability and economy of thetherapeutic, but importantly, significantly improves the therapeuticefficacy and strength of the resultant molecule. It is toward thefulfillment of these and other related objectives that the presentinvention is directed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has now been found that antibiotic peptide molecules covalently boundthereto, may be prepared, that provides enhanced stability, such asresistance to enzymatic digestion, along with dramatically increasedactivity of the antibiotic active. In this latter regard, increases inactivity on the order of ten-fold or more, over the same peptides inconventional form, are attained. This finding leads to novel peptideshaving therapeutic value. It also leads to pharmaceutical compositionshaving the peptide of the present invention as an active ingredient andto their use to treat, prevent or ameliorate a range of conditions inmammals of various genesis or etiology, however, primarily caused bybacteria, viruses, or fungi.

More particularly, the present invention relates to peptides havingantimicrobial properties, according to formula I:

-   -   wherein    -   each L¹ is —(CH₂)_(n)—; n is 2, 3, 4 or 5; each L² is a        dipeptide or a tripeptide linker; and Z is selected from        substituted or unsubstituted amino, hydroxy, substituted or        unsubstituted alkoxy, and substituted or unsubstituted aryloxy;        or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, solvate or prodrug        thereof; and stereoisomers, isotopic variants and tautomers        thereof.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each L¹ isselected from —CH₂—CH₂—, —CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—, and —CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—. In apreferred embodiment, each L¹ is —CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each L² isselected from RWW, RFF, RYY, KWW, KYY and KFF.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each L² isselected from WWR, FFR, YYR, WWK, YYK and FFK.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each L² isselected from RW, RW*, RF, RY, R-2Nal, H*W, KW, KY and KF.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each L² isselected from WR, W*R, FR, YR, 2Nal-R, WH*, WK, YK and FK.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is WR.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is W*R.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is FR.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is YR.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is 2Nal-R.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is WH*.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is WK.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is YK.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is FK.

In a preferred embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is WR.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each L² isas described in the preceding paragraphs; and R, W, W*, F, Y, H*, K, and2-Nal are as defined herein.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each Z isselected from NH₂, substituted or unsubstituted alkylamino, substitutedor unsubstituted arylamino, substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy, andsubstituted or unsubstituted aryloxy.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each Z isselected from NH₂, alkyl amino, arylamino, alkoxy and aryloxy.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each Z isselected from NH₂, nonylamino, benzylamino, and benzyloxy.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, Z isNH₂.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, Z isnonylamino.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, Z isbenzylamino.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, Z isbenzyloxy.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, Z isOH.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a method for thepreparation of the peptides of the invention.

In a further aspect, the peptides of the invention may be used to treatmicrobial or fungal conditions affecting lower animals, and possibly,plants. The peptides could be designed and assembled to include thepeptides pertinent for the treatment of a particular microbe or fungusof interest, and then formulated into appropriate compositions anddosage forms for administration or application to an affected host.Moreover, such compositions may comprise the peptides of the inventionin mixtures or combinations with other antibiotic agents, such as knownantibiotic compounds. In such formulations, the peptides of theinvention coact synergistically with the known antibiotic compounds, sothat the resulting composition demonstrates improved effectiveness.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides pharmaceuticalcompositions comprising a peptide of the invention, and a pharmaceuticalcarrier, excipient or diluent. In this aspect of the invention, thepharmaceutical composition can comprise one or more variant peptides ofthe invention, prepared, for example, with a differing array of peptidelinkers, to afford a more comprehensive treatment in the instance wherea multiplicity of microbial/viral/fungal antigens are known to bepresent. Likewise, and as stated above, the pharmaceutical compositionsmay comprise one or more of the peptides of the invention, incombination with other antibiotic agents or compounds, including knownantibiotic compounds.

In a further aspect of the invention, a method is disclosed for treatingmammals, including humans, as well as lower mammalian species,susceptible to or afflicted with a condition attributable to orresulting from amicrobial, viral or fungal infection, which methodcomprises administering an effective amount of a pharmaceuticalcomposition containing or comprising the peptides just described.

In additional aspects, this invention provides methods for synthesizingthe complexes of the invention, with representative synthetic protocolsand pathways disclosed later on herein.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled inthe art from a consideration of the ensuing detailed description, whichproceeds with reference to the following illustrative drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1D are graphs illustrating the protease stability of AMPs(FIGS. 1A and 1B), and the enzyme concentration-dependent effect on theantibacterial activity of AMPs after 1 hr incubation. (FIGS. 1C and 1D)enzyme incubation time-dependent effect on the antibacterial activity ofAMPs; the trypsin concentration is 1 μM. The concentration of AMPs inthe experiments is their MIC₅₀.

FIG. 2 graphically presents the results of a cytotoxicity assay using a3T3 mouse fibroblast cell line. FIG. 2 depicts the results withdendrimer (RW)_(4D). Buffer alone was used as the positive control andH₂O₂ was used as the negative control. The results are the mean of threeindependent experiments performed in parallel.

FIG. 3 graphically depicts the results of the measurement of the abilityof dendrimer (RW)_(4D) to induce leakage of calcein, entrapped withinthe interior of large unilamellar vesicles of model membrane POPG. Theextent of leakage of encapsulated calcein was detected by itsfluorescence at 515 nm, with 100% leakage calibrated by addition of 0.2%Triton X-100.

FIG. 4 presents the dynamic evolution of the dendrimer (RW)_(4D) asmonitored with MD in the isothermal-isobaric ensemble at T=300 K and P=1atm. Color notation: n-octane (green); water (oxygen: red; hydrogen:white); (RW)_(4D): carbon (green), oxygen (red), nitrogen (blue), andhydrogen (white).

FIG. 5 graphically presents the summary of a biofilm assay for theinhibition of E. coli biofilm formation by poly-peptides, and showsrelative biofilm coverages for live cells, dead cells, and totalbiofilms. All the data were normalized based on the coverage of totalbiofilms of control samples.

FIG. 6 comprises five representative fluorescence microscope images:(the scale bar=5 μm), depicting the results of the biofilm assay ofExample 4.

FIGS. 7A-7C comprises three bar graphs indicating the number of viablebiofilm cells of E. coli RP437 that developed in up to 100 μg/mL ofhexamer (A), octamer (B), and dendrimer (C). Biofilms were inoculated ata starting OD of 0.05 and incubated at 37° C. for 24 hours.

FIG. 8 is a graph presenting the results of a bioassay of a dendrimer ofthe invention against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria thatare multi-drug resistant, demonstrating rapid effectiveness of thedendrimer.

FIG. 9 is a graph presenting the results of an antibacterial assayconducted under physiological conditions, further demonstrating theactivity of a dendrimer of the invention.

FIGS. 10A and 10B graphically present the results of a dendrimer of theinvention against the gram negative bacteria Acineto Baumannii.

FIG. 11 is four plates of A. Baumannii cells stained to visuallydemonstrate the killing ability of the dendrimer of the invention, asset forth in the data in FIGS. 10A and 10B.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are photomicrographs presenting a visualization ofmembrane permeation by rhodamine-labeled (RW)_(4D), using confocal laserscanning microscopy.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are graphs presenting the results of tests of theeffect of dendrimers of the invention on E. coli biofilm formation.

FIGS. 14A and 14B comprises two plates of photomicrographs presenting avisualization of the results of Live/Dead staining demonstrating theinhibition of E. coli biofilm formation.

FIGS. 15A and 15B graphically demonstrate the effectiveness ofdendrimers of the invention in the inhibition of biofilm formation by E.coli and S. aureus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Definitions

When describing the compounds, pharmaceutical compositions containingsuch compounds and methods of using such compounds and compositions, thefollowing terms have the following meanings herein, unless otherwiseindicated.

“Trp (W)” refers herein to an L-Tryptophan residue.

“Phe (F)” refers herein to an L-Phenylalanine residue.

“Lys (K)” refers herein to an L-Lysine residue.

“Arg (R)” refers herein to an L-Arginine residue.

“Tyr (Y)” refers herein to an L-Tyrosine residue.

“His (H*)” refers herein to a Histidine residue.

“(2Nal)” refers herein to 2-naphthyl)-L-alanine, and has a structureaccording to the following formula, when depicted as a residue:

“(W*)” means 5-fluoro-DL-tryptophan, and has a structure according tothe following formula, when depicted as a residue:

“Peptide” means a chain of amino acid residues having between 2 andabout 100 amino acid residues, and includes peptides which are purifiedfrom naturally occurring products, or produced by synthetic orrecombinant DNA methods, or that include one or more ‘unnatural aminoacids’ as defined herein. Amino acid chains having greater than about100 amino acid residues if present herein, are referred to aspolypeptides.

The term “residue” as used herein, refers to the monomeric form of anamino acid as it exists in a polymeric molecule. In this form, ahydrogen atom is displaced from the N-terminal end, and a hydroxyl groupis displaced from the C-terminal end.

“Unnatural amino acids” means amino acids and corresponding peptidesthat are synthesized from single amino acid starting materials. Suchunnatural amino acids may be prepared and used individually inaccordance with the present invention, or may incorporated into existingproteins. This method may be used to create analogs with unnatural aminoacids. A general method for site-specific incorporation of unnaturalamino acids into proteins is described in Christopher J. Noren, SpencerJ. Anthony-Cahill, Michael C. Griffith, Peter G. Schultz, Science,244:182-188 (April 1989).

‘Alkyl’ means straight or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon having 1 toabout 20 carbon atoms. Particular alkyl has 1 to about 12 carbon atoms.More particular is lower alkyl which has 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Mostparticular are groups such as methyl, ethyl and propyl. Branched meansthat one or more lower alkyl groups such as methyl, ethyl or propyl isattached to a linear alkyl chain. The term C₁-C₆ alkyl includes bothbranched and straight chain groups, exemplary straight chain groupsinclude ethyl, propyl, butyl, exemplary branched chain groups includeisopropyl, isoamyl, and the like.

‘Aryl’ refers to a monovalent aromatic hydrocarbon group derived by theremoval of one hydrogen atom from a single carbon atom of a parentaromatic ring system. In particular aryl refers to an aromatic ringstructure, mono-cyclic or poly-cyclic that includes from 5 to 12 ringmembers, more usually 5 to 10. Where the aryl group is a monocyclic ringsystem it preferentially contains 6 carbon atoms. Typical aryl groupsinclude, but are not limited to, groups derived from aceanthrylene,acenaphthylene, acephenanthrylene, anthracene, azulene, benzene,chrysene, coronene, fluoranthene, fluorene, hexacene, hexaphene,hexylene, as-indacene, s-indacene, indane, indene, naphthalene,octacene, octaphene, octalene, ovalene, penta-2,4-diene, pentacene,pentalene, pentaphene, perylene, phenalene, phenanthrene, picene,pleiadene, pyrene, pyranthrene, rubicene, triphenylene andtrinaphthalene. Particularly aryl groups include phenyl, naphthyl,indenyl, and tetrahydronaphthyl.

‘Alkoxy’ refers to the group —OR²⁴ where R²⁴ is alkyl. Particular alkoxygroups include, by way of example, methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy,isopropoxy, n-butoxy, tert-butoxy, sec-butoxy, n-pentoxy, n-hexoxy,1,2-dimethylbutoxy, and the like.

‘Substituted alkoxy’ includes those groups recited in the definition of‘substituted’ herein, and particularly refers to an alkoxy group having1 or more substituents, for instance from 1 to 5 substituents, andparticularly from 1 to 3 substituents, selected from the groupconsisting of acyl, acylamino, acyloxy, alkoxy, substituted alkoxy,alkoxycarbonyl, alkoxycarbonylamino, amino, substituted amino,aminocarbonyl, aminocarbonylamino, aminocarbonyloxy, aryl, aryloxy,azido, carboxyl, cyano, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, halogen,heteroaryl, hydroxyl, keto, nitro, thioalkoxy, substituted thioalkoxy,thioaryloxy, thioketo, thiol, alkyl-S(O)—, aryl-S(O)—, alkyl-S(O)₂— andaryl-S(O)₂—.

‘Aryloxy’ refers to —O-aryl groups wherein ‘aryl’ is as defined above.

‘Amino’ refers to the radical —NH₂.

‘Arylamino’ means a radical —NHR⁴⁰ where R⁴⁰ represents an aryl group asdefined herein.

‘Substituted amino’ refers to an amino group substituted with one ormore of those groups recited in the definition of ‘substituted’ herein,and particularly refers to the group —N(R³⁶)₂ where each R³⁶ isindependently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl,substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substitutedalkynyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, and where both Rgroups are joined to form an alkylene group. When both R groups arehydrogen, —N(R³⁶)₂ is an amino group. Exemplary ‘substituted amino’groups are —NR³⁶—C₁-C₈ alkyl, —NR³⁶—(CH₂)_(t)(C₆-C₁₀ aryl),—NR³⁶—(CH₂)_(t)(C₅-C₁₀ heteroaryl), —NR³⁶—(CH₂)_(t)(C₃-C₁₀ cycloalkyl),and —NR³⁶—(CH₂)_(t)(C₅-C₁₀ heterocycloalkyl), wherein t is an integerfrom 0 to 4, each R³⁶ independently represents H or C₁-C₆ alkyl and anyaryl, heteroaryl, cycloalkyl or heterocycloalkyl groups present, maythemselves be substituted by C₁-C₄ alkyl, halo, C₁-C₄ alkoxy, C₁₋₄haloalkyl, C₁-C₄ hydroxyalkyl, or C₁-C₄ haloalkoxy or hydroxy.

‘Substituted’ refers to a group in which one or more hydrogen atoms areeach independently replaced with the same or different substituent(s).Typical substituents are selected from the group consisting of: —X,—R⁴⁶, —O⁻, ═O, —OR⁴⁶, —SR⁴⁶, —S⁻, ═S, —NR⁴⁶R═NR⁴⁶, —CX₃, —CF₃, —CN,—OCN, —SCN, —NO, —NO₂, ═N₂, —N₃, —S(O)₂O⁻, —S(O)₂OH, —S(O)₂R⁴⁶,—OS(O₂)O⁻, —OS(O)₂R⁴⁶, —P(O)(O⁻)₂, P(O)(OR⁴⁶)(O⁻), —OP(O)(OR⁴⁶)(OR⁴⁷),—C(O)R⁴⁶, C(S)R⁴⁶, —C(O)OR⁴⁶, —C(O)NR⁴⁶R⁴⁷, —C(O)O⁻, —C(S)OR⁴⁶, —NRC(O)NR⁴⁶R⁴⁷, —NR⁴⁸C(S)NR⁴⁶R⁴⁷, —NR⁴⁹C(NR⁴⁸)NR⁴⁶R⁴⁷ and —C(NR⁴⁸)NR⁴⁶R⁴⁷,where each X is independently a halogen; each R⁴⁶, R⁴⁷, R⁴⁸ and R⁴⁹ areindependently hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substitutedalkyl, arylalkyl, substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted alkyl,cycloheteroalkyl, substituted cycloheteroalkyl, heteroalkyl, substitutedheteroalkyl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heteroarylalkyl,substituted heteroarylalkyl, —NR⁵⁰R⁵¹, —C(O)R⁵⁰ or —S(O)₂R⁵⁰ oroptionally R⁵⁰ and R⁵¹ together with the atom to which they are bothattached form a cycloheteroalkyl or substituted cycloheteroalkyl ring;and R⁵⁰ and R⁵¹ are independently hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl,aryl, substituted alkyl, arylalkyl, substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl,substituted alkyl, cycloheteroalkyl, substituted cycloheteroalkyl,heteroalkyl, substituted heteroalkyl, heteroaryl, substitutedheteroaryl, heteroarylalkyl or substituted heteroarylalkyl. In aparticular embodiment, substituted groups are substituted with one ormore substituents, particularly with 1 to 3 substituents, in particularwith one substituent group. In a further particular embodiment thesubstituent group or groups are selected from halo, cyano, nitro,trifluoromethyl, trifluoromethoxy, azido, —NR′″ SO₂R″, —SO₂NR″R′″,—C(O)R″, —C(O)OR″, —OC(O)R″, —NR C(O)R″, —C(O)NR″R′″, —NR″R′″,—(CR′″R′″)_(m)OR′″, wherein, each R″ is independently selected from H,C₁-C₈ alkyl, —(CH₂)_(t)(C₆-C₁₀ aryl), —(CH₂)_(t)(C₅-C₁₀ heteroaryl),—(CH₂)_(t)(C₃-C₁₀ cycloalkyl), and —(CH₂)_(t)(C₅-C₁₀ heterocycloalkyl),wherein t is an integer from 0 to 4 and any aryl, heteroaryl, cycloalkylor heterocycloalkyl groups present, may themselves be substituted byC₁-C₄ alkyl, halo, C₁-C₄ alkoxy, C₁₋₄ haloalkyl, C₁-C₄ hydroxyalkyl, orC₁-C₄ haloalkoxy or hydroxy. Each R″ independently represents H orC₁-C₆alkyl.

“Pharmaceutically acceptable” means approved by a regulatory agency ofthe Federal or a state government or listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia orother generally recognized pharmacopoeia for use in animals, and moreparticularly in humans.

“Pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle” refers to a diluent, adjuvant,excipient or carrier with which a compound of the invention isadministered.

‘Preventing’ or ‘prevention’ refers to a reduction in risk of acquiringor developing a disease or disorder (i.e., causing at least one of theclinical symptoms of the disease not to develop in a subject that may beexposed to a disease-causing agent, or predisposed to the disease inadvance of disease onset.

“Prodrugs” refers to compounds, including derivatives of the compoundsprovided herein, which have cleavable groups and become by solvolysis orunder physiological conditions the compounds provided herein which arepharmaceutically active in vivo. Such examples include, but are notlimited to, choline ester derivatives and the like, N-alkylmorpholineesters and the like.

The term ‘prophylaxis’ is related to ‘prevention’, and refers to ameasure or procedure the purpose of which is to prevent, rather than totreat or cure a disease. Non-limiting examples of prophylactic measuresmay include the administration of vaccines; the administration of lowmolecular weight heparin to hospital patients at risk for thrombosisdue, for example, to immobilization; and the administration of ananti-malarial agent such as chloroquine, in advance of a visit to ageographical region where malaria is endemic or the risk of contractingmalaria is high.

“Solvate” refers to forms of the compound that are associated with asolvent, usually by a solvolysis reaction. Conventional solvents includewater, ethanol, acetic acid and the like. The compounds provided hereinmay be prepared e.g. in crystalline form and may be solvated orhydrated. Suitable solvates include pharmaceutically acceptablesolvates, such as hydrates, and further include both stoichiometricsolvates and non-stoichiometric solvates.

“Subject” includes humans. The terms “human,” “patient” and “subject”are used interchangeably herein.

“Tautomers” refer to compounds that are interchangeable forms of aparticular compound structure, and that vary in the displacement ofhydrogen atoms and electrons. Thus, two structures may be in equilibriumthrough the movement of π electrons and an atom (usually H). Forexample, enols and ketones are tautomers because they are rapidlyinterconverted by treatment with either acid or base. Another example oftautomerism is the aci- and nitro-forms of phenylnitromethane, that arelikewise formed by treatment with acid or base.

Tautomeric forms may be relevant to the attainment of the optimalchemical reactivity and biological activity of a compound of interest.

“Therapeutically effective amount” means the amount of a compound that,when administered to a subject for treating a disease, is sufficient toeffect such treatment for the disease. The “therapeutically effectiveamount” can vary depending on the compound, the disease and itsseverity, and the age, weight, etc., of the subject to be treated.

‘Treating’ or ‘treatment’ of any disease or disorder refers, in oneembodiment, to ameliorating the disease or disorder (i.e., arresting thedisease or reducing the manifestation, extent or severity of at leastone of the clinical symptoms thereof). In another embodiment ‘treating’or ‘treatment’ refers to ameliorating at least one physical parameter,which may not be discernible by the subject. In yet another embodiment,‘treating’ or ‘treatment’ refers to modulating the disease or disorder,either physically, (e.g., stabilization of a discernible symptom),physiologically, (e.g., stabilization of a physical parameter), or both.

Other derivatives of the compounds provided herein have activity in boththeir acid and acid derivative forms, but in the acid sensitive formoften offers advantages of solubility, tissue compatibility, or delayedrelease in the mammalian organism (see, Bundgard, H., Design ofProdrugs, pp. 7-9, 21-24, Elsevier, Amsterdam 1985). Prodrugs includeacid derivatives well know to practitioners of the art, such as, forexample, esters prepared by reaction of the parent acid with a suitablealcohol, or amides prepared by reaction of the parent acid compound witha substituted or unsubstituted amine, or acid anhydrides, or mixedanhydrides. Simple aliphatic or aromatic esters, amides and anhydridesderived from acidic groups pendant on the compounds provided herein arepreferred prodrugs. In some cases it is desirable to prepare doubleester type prodrugs such as (acyloxy)alkyl esters or((alkoxycarbonyl)oxy)alkylesters. Preferred are the C₁ to C₈ alkyl,C₂-C₈ alkenyl, aryl, C₇-C₁₂ substituted aryl, and C₇-C₁₂ arylalkylesters of the compounds provided herein.

As used herein, the term “isotopic variant” refers to a compound thatcomprises an unnatural proportion of an isotope of one or more of theatoms that constitute such compound. For example, an “isotopic variant”of a compound can comprise an unnatural proportion of one or morenon-radioactive isotopes, such as for example, deuterium (²H or D),carbon-13 (¹³C), nitrogen-15 (¹⁵N), or the like. It will be understoodthat, in a compound comprising an unnatural proportion of an isotope,any example of an atom where present, may vary in isotope composition.For example, any hydrogen may be ²H/D, or any carbon may be ¹³C, or anynitrogen may be ¹⁵N, and that the presence and placement of such atomsmay be determined within the skill of the art. Likewise, provided hereinare methods for preparation of isotopic variants with radioisotopes, inthe instance for example, where the resulting compounds may be used fordrug and/or substrate tissue distribution studies. The radioactiveisotopes tritium, i.e. ³H, and carbon-14, i.e. ¹⁴C, are particularlyuseful for this purpose in view of their ease of incorporation and readymeans of detection. Further, compounds may be prepared that aresubstituted with positron emitting isotopes, such as ¹¹C, ¹⁸F, ¹⁵O and¹³N, and would be useful in Positron Emission Topography (PET) studiesfor examining substrate receptor occupancy. All isotopic variants of thecompounds provided herein, radioactive or not, are intended to beencompassed within the scope provided herein.

It is also to be understood that compounds that have the same molecularformula but differ in the nature or sequence of bonding of their atomsor the arrangement of their atoms in space are termed “isomers”. Isomersthat differ in the arrangement of their atoms in space are termed“stereoisomers”.

Stereoisomers that are not mirror images of one another are termed“diastereomers” and those that are non-superimposable mirror images ofeach other are termed “enantiomers”. When a compound has an asymmetriccenter, for example, it is bonded to four different groups, a pair ofenantiomers is possible. An enantiomer can be characterized by theabsolute configuration of its asymmetric center and is described by theR- and S-sequencing rules of Cahn and Prelog, or by the manner in whichthe molecule rotates the plane of polarized light and designated asdextrorotatory or levorotatory (i.e., as (+) or (−)-isomersrespectively). A chiral compound can exist as either individualenantiomer or as a mixture thereof. A mixture containing equalproportions of the enantiomers is called a “racemic mixture”.

The Peptides

As set forth earlier herein, the peptide dendrimer compounds compriseantimicrobial/antiviral/antifungal peptides. The compounds may bedipeptides and may have a lethal effect on bacteria, viruses or fungi.More particularly, the peptides may be any antimicrobial peptides,including natural products found in organisms, fragments of naturalpeptides, and any synthetic analogs or de novo designs. These peptidescan accordingly include nonnatural amino acids: beta-amino acids,d-amino acids and/or non-indigenous amino acids.

More particularly, the present invention relates to peptides havingantimicrobial properties, according to formula I:

-   -   wherein    -   each L¹ is —(CH₂)_(n)—; n is 2, 3, 4 or 5; each L² is a        dipeptide or tripeptide linker; and Z is selected from        substituted or unsubstituted amino, hydroxy, substituted or        unsubstituted alkoxy, and substituted or unsubstituted aryloxy;        or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, solvate or prodrug        thereof; and stereoisomers, isotopic variants and tautomers        thereof.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each L¹ isselected from —CH₂—CH₂—, —CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—, and —CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—. In apreferred embodiment, each L¹ is —CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each L² isselected from RWW, RFF, RYY, KWW, KYY and KFF.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each L² isselected from WWR, FFR, YYR, WWK, YYK and FFK.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each L² isselected from RW, RW*, RF, RY, R-2Nal, H*W, KW, KY and KF.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each L² isselected from WR, W*R, FR, YR, 2Nal-R, WH*, WK, YK and FK.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is WR.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is W*R.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is FR.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is YR.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is 2Nal-R.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is WH*.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is WK.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is YK.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is FK.

In a preferred embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, eachL² is WR.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each L² isas described in the preceding paragraphs; and R, W, W*, F, Y, H*, K, and2-Nal are as defined herein.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each Z isselected from NH₂, substituted or unsubstituted alkylamino, substitutedor unsubstituted arylamino, substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy, andsubstituted or unsubstituted aryloxy.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each Z isselected from NH₂, alkylamino, arylamino, alkoxy and aryloxy.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each Z isselected from NH₂, nonylamino, benzylamino, and benzyloxy.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, Z isNH₂.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, Z isnonylamino.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, Z isbenzylamino.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, Z isbenzyloxy.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, each Z isOH.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula II:

and wherein each L² and Z is as described with formula I.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, each L² isselected from RWW, RFF, RYY, KWW, KYY and KFF.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, each L²is selected from WWR, FFR, YYR, WWK, YYK and FFK.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, each L² isselected from RW, RW*, RF, RY, R-2Nal, H*W, KW, KY and KF.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, each L²is selected from WR, W*R, FR, YR, 2Nal-R, WH*, WK, YK and FK.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, eachL² is WR.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, eachL² is W*R.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, eachL² is FR.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, eachL² is YR.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, eachL² is 2Nal-R.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, eachL² is WH*.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, eachL² is WK.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, eachL² is YK.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, eachL² is FK.

In a preferred embodiment with respect to peptides of formula II, eachL² is WR.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, each Z isselected from NH₂, substituted or unsubstituted alkylamino, substitutedor unsubstituted arylamino, substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy, andsubstituted or unsubstituted aryloxy.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, each Z isselected from NH₂, alkylamino, arylamino, alkoxy and aryloxy.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, each Z isselected from NH₂, nonylamino, benzylamino, and benzyloxy.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, Z isNH₂.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, Z isnonylamino.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, Z isbenzyl amino.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, Z isbenzyloxy.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula II, Z ishydroxy.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula III:

and wherein each L² and Z is as described with formula I.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, each L² isselected from RWW, RFF, RYY, KWW, KYY and KFF.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, each L²is selected from WWR, FFR, YYR, WWK, YYK and FFK.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, each L² isselected from RW, RW*, RF, RY, R-2Nal, H*W, KW, KY and KF.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, each L²is selected from WR, W*R, FR, YR, 2Nal-R, WH*, WK, YK and FK.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, eachL² is WR.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, eachL² is W*R.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, eachL² is FR.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, eachL² is YR.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, eachL² is 2Nal-R.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, eachL² is WH*.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, eachL² is WK.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, eachL² is YK.

In yet another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, eachL² is FK.

In a preferred embodiment with respect to peptides of formula III, eachL² is WR.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, each Z isselected from NH₂, substituted or unsubstituted alkylamino, substitutedor unsubstituted arylamino, substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy, andsubstituted or unsubstituted aryloxy.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, each Zis selected from NH₂, alkylamino, arylamino, alkoxy and aryloxy.

In another embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, each Zis selected from NH₂, nonylamino, benzylamino, and benzyloxy.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, Zis NH₂.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, Zis nonylamino.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, Zis benzylamino.

In a particular embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula III, Zis benzyloxy.

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula IV:

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula V:

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula VI:

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula VII:

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula VIII:

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula IX:

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula X:

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula XI:

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula XII:

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula XIII:

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula XIV:

In one embodiment, with respect to peptides of formula I, the peptide isaccording to formula XV:

In certain aspects and where appropriate, the present invention extendsto the preparation of prodrugs and derivatives of the peptides of theinvention. Prodrugs are derivatives which have cleavable groups andbecome by solvolysis or under physiological conditions the peptide ofthe invention, which are pharmaceutically active, in vivo.

Pharmaceutical Compositions

When employed as pharmaceuticals, the peptide compounds of thisinvention are typically administered in the form of a pharmaceuticalcomposition. Such compositions can be prepared in a manner well known inthe pharmaceutical art and comprise at least one active complex. In afurther embodiment, the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention maycomprise one or more of the peptide compounds in combination with one ormore non-peptide antibiotic compounds, including known antibioticcompounds. Such combinations yield compositions that exhibit improvedeffectiveness over like compositions containing the active compoundsindividually, so that a synergistic effect of the combination isconferred. The exact amounts and proportions of the compounds withrespect to each other may vary within the skill of the art.

Generally, the peptide compound of this invention is administered in apharmaceutically effective amount. The amount of the complex actuallyadministered will typically be determined by a physician, in the lightof the relevant circumstances, including the condition to be treated,the chosen route of administration, the actual complex administered, theage, weight, and response of the individual patient, the severity of thepatient's symptoms, and the like.

The pharmaceutical compositions of this invention can be administered bya variety of routes including by way of non limiting example, oral,rectal, transdermal, subcutaneous, intravenous, intramuscular andintranasal. Depending upon the intended route of delivery, the compoundsof this invention are preferably formulated as either injectable or oralcompositions or as salves, as lotions or as patches all for transdermaladministration.

The compositions for oral administration can take the form of bulkliquid solutions or suspensions, or bulk powders. More commonly,however, the compositions are presented in unit dosage forms tofacilitate accurate dosing. The term “unit dosage forms” refers tophysically discrete units suitable as unitary dosages for human subjectsand other mammals, each unit containing a predetermined quantity ofactive material calculated to produce the desired therapeutic effect, inassociation with a suitable pharmaceutical excipient. Typical unitdosage forms include prefilled, premeasured ampoules or syringes of theliquid compositions or pills, tablets, capsules or the like in the caseof solid compositions. In such compositions, the furansulfonic acidcompound is usually a minor component (from about 0.1 to about 50% byweight or preferably from about 1 to about 40% by weight) with theremainder being various vehicles or carriers and processing aids helpfulfor forming the desired dosing form.

Liquid forms suitable for oral administration may include a suitableaqueous or nonaqueous vehicle with buffers, suspending and dispensingagents, colorants, flavors and the like. Solid forms may include, forexample, any of the following ingredients, or compounds of a similarnature: a binder such as microcrystalline cellulose, gum tragacanth orgelatin; an excipient such as starch or lactose, a disintegrating agentsuch as alginic acid, Primogel, or corn starch; a lubricant such asmagnesium stearate; a glidant such as colloidal silicon dioxide; asweetening agent such as sucrose or saccharin; or a flavoring agent suchas peppermint, methyl salicylate, or orange flavoring.

Injectable compositions are typically based upon injectable sterilesaline or phosphate-buffered saline or other injectable carriers knownin the art. As before, the active compound in such compositions istypically a minor component, often being from about 0.05 to 10% byweight with the remainder being the injectable carrier and the like.

Transdermal compositions are typically formulated as a topical ointmentor cream containing the active ingredient(s), generally in an amountranging from about 0.01 to about 20% by weight, preferably from about0.1 to about 20% by weight, preferably from about 0.1 to about 10% byweight, and more preferably from about 0.5 to about 15% by weight. Whenformulated as an ointment, the active ingredients will typically becombined with either a paraffinic or a water-miscible ointment base.Alternatively, the active ingredients may be formulated in a cream with,for example an oil-in-water cream base. Such transdermal formulationsare well-known in the art and generally include additional ingredientsto enhance the dermal penetration of stability of the active ingredientsor the formulation. All such known transdermal formulations andingredients are included within the scope of this invention.

The compounds of this invention can also be administered by atransdermal device. Accordingly, transdermal administration can beaccomplished using a patch either of the reservoir or porous membranetype, or of a solid matrix variety.

The above-described components for orally administrable, injectable ortopically administrable compositions are merely representative. Othermaterials as well as processing techniques and the like are set forth inPart 8 of Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 17th edition, 1985, MackPublishing Company, Easton, Pa., which is incorporated herein byreference.

The compounds of this invention can also be administered in sustainedrelease forms or from sustained release drug delivery systems. Adescription of representative sustained release materials can be foundin Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The following formulation examples illustrate representativepharmaceutical compositions that may be prepared in accordance with thisinvention. The present invention, however, is not limited to thefollowing pharmaceutical compositions.

Formulation 1 Tablets

A compound of the invention is admixed as a dry powder with a drygelatin binder in an approximate 1:2 weight ratio. A minor amount ofmagnesium stearate is added as a lubricant. The mixture is formed into240-270 mg tablets (80-90 mg of active compound per tablet) in a tabletpress.

Formulation 2 Capsules

A compound of the invention is admixed as a dry powder with a starchdiluent in an approximate 1:1 weight ratio. The mixture is filled into250 mg capsules (125 mg of active compound per capsule).

Formulation 3 Liquid

A compound of the invention (125 mg) may be admixed with sucrose (1.75g) and xanthan gum (4 mg) and the resultant mixture may be blended,passed through a No. 10 mesh U.S. sieve, and then mixed with apreviously made solution of microcrystalline cellulose and sodiumcarboxymethyl cellulose (11:89, 50 mg) in water. Sodium benzoate (10mg), flavor, and color are diluted with water and added with stirring.Sufficient water may then added to produce a total volume of 5 mL.

Formulation 4 Tablets

A compound of the invention may be admixed as a dry powder with a drygelatin binder in an approximate 1:2 weight ratio. A minor amount ofmagnesium stearate is added as a lubricant. The mixture is formed into450-900 mg tablets (150-300 mg of active compound) in a tablet press.

Formulation 5 Injection

A compound of the invention is dissolved or suspended in a bufferedsterile saline injectable aqueous medium to a concentration ofapproximately 5 mg/mL.

Formulation 6 Topical

Stearyl alcohol (250 g) and a white petrolatum (250 g) are melted atabout 75° C. and then a mixture of a compound of the invention (50 g)methylparaben (0.25 g), propylparaben (0.15 g), sodium lauryl sulfate(10 g), and propylene glycol (120 g) dissolved in water (about 370 g) isadded and the resulting mixture is stirred until it congeals.

Methods of Treatment

The present complexes may be used as therapeutic agents for thetreatment of conditions in mammals. Accordingly, the complexes andpharmaceutical compositions of this invention find use as therapeuticsfor preventing and/or treating infections and like maladies resultingfrom bacterial, viral or fungal attack, and related conditions inmammals including humans.

In a method of treatment aspect, this invention provides a method oftreating a mammal susceptible to or afflicted with a conditionassociated with or resulting from bacterial, viral or fungal attack orinfection, which method comprises administering an effective amount ofone or more of the pharmaceutical compositions just described.

In additional method of treatment aspects, this invention providesmethods of treating a mammal susceptible to or afflicted with a varietyof bacteria or other infections, including strains which have developedresistance to traditional antibiotics, such as, for example,Staphylococcus aureus. The method comprises administering an effectivecondition-treating or condition-preventing amount of one or more of thepharmaceutical compositions just described.

Injection dose levels range from about 0.1 mg/kg/hour to at least 10mg/kg/hour, all for from about 1 to about 120 hours and especially 24 to96 hours. A preloading bolus of from about 0.1 mg/kg to about 10 mg/kgor more may also be administered to achieve adequate steady statelevels. The maximum total dose is not expected to exceed about 2 g/dayfor a 40 to 80 kg human patient.

For the prevention and/or treatment of long-term conditions, such asviral or microbial conditions, the regimen for treatment usuallystretches over many months or years so oral dosing is preferred forpatient convenience and tolerance. With oral dosing, one to five andespecially two to four and typically three oral doses per day arerepresentative regimens. Using these dosing patterns, each dose providesfrom about 0.01 to about 20 mg/kg of the compound or its derivative,with preferred doses each providing from about 0.1 to about 10 mg/kg andespecially about 1 to about 5 mg/kg.

Transdermal doses are generally selected to provide similar or lowerblood levels than are achieved using injection doses.

The complexes of this invention can be administered as the sole activeagent or they can be administered in combination with other agents,including other active derivatives.

General Synthetic Procedures

The complexes of this invention can be prepared from readily availablestarting materials using the general methods and procedures describedearlier and illustrated schematically in the examples that follow. Itwill be appreciated that where typical or preferred process conditions(i.e., reaction temperatures, times, mole ratios of reactants, solvents,pressures, etc.) are given, other process conditions can also be usedunless otherwise stated. Optimum reaction conditions may vary with theparticular reactants or solvent used, but such conditions can bedetermined by one skilled in the art by routine optimization procedures.

Additionally, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art,conventional protecting groups may be necessary to prevent certainfunctional groups from undergoing undesired reactions. The choice of asuitable protecting group for a particular functional group as well assuitable conditions for protection and deprotection are well known inthe art. For example, numerous protecting groups, and their introductionand removal, are described in T. W. Greene and P. G. M. Wuts, ProtectingGroups in Organic Synthesis, Second Edition, Wiley, New York, 1991, andreferences cited therein.

The following methods are presented with details as to the preparationof representative peptides that have been listed hereinabove. Thepeptides of the invention may be prepared from known or commerciallyavailable starting materials and reagents by one skilled in the art oforganic synthesis.

Representative Synthetic Method Preparation of Dendrimeric Peptides ofthe Invention

The dendrimeric antimicrobial peptides in accordance with a firstembodiment of the invention can be prepared using the representativesynthetic pathway depicted in Scheme 1. Representative dendrimers areCompounds I-9, presented after the following scheme and the descriptionof the synthetic method.

First, an Fmoc-protected β-alanine residue, making up the C-terminus,was coupled to Rink amide resin. This residue was deprotected andcoupled to Fmoc-Lys(Fmoc)-OH with Fmoc-protected α- and ε-amino groups.Using the same protecting group for both amino groups allows forsimultaneous deprotection, so that two amide bonds are formed during thenext coupling step. Tetravalent cores were achieved by repeating thisstep. In effect, 4 free amino groups were created respectively.

Then 4 dipeptides (L²) were simultaneously coupled to NH₂ groups of thelysine core template. Crude peptide solutions were deprotected by 95%TFA, 2.5% water, 2.5% TIS, precipitated in ether and purified on reversephase HPLC. Molecular weights were verified by M/S using a BrukerMALDI-TOF spectrometer, which were in agreement with theoretical masses.

The following representative amino acids are used for L² dipeptidelinkers:

Trp (W) Phe (F) Lys (K) Arg (R) and Try (Y).

The following representative L² dipeptide linkers are used to preparepeptides of the invention.

RW RW* RF RY R-2Nal H*W KW KY and

KF.

The following representative L² tripeptide linkers can be used toprepare peptides of the invention.

RWW RFF RYY KWW KYY and KFF.

In a second synthetic embodiment of the invention, dendrimers having asubstitution at the C-terminus, represented by ‘Z’, can be preparedusing the representative synthetic pathway depicted in Scheme 2, below,and by the corresponding procedure.

First, an Fmoc-protected β-alanine residue, making up the C-terminus,was coupled to HMBA-AM resin in the presence of 4 equivalents of DIC(N,N′-diisopropylcarbodiimide) and 0.1 equivalents of DMAP(4-Dimethylaminopyridine). This residue was deprotected and coupled toFmoc-Lys(Fmoc)-OH with Fmoc-protected α- and ε-amino groups. Using thesame protecting group for both amino groups allows for simultaneousdeprotection, so that two amide bonds are formed during the nextcoupling step. The tetravalent core was achieved by repeating this step.In effect, 4 free amino groups were created. Then 4 RW dipeptides weresimultaneously coupled to NH₂ groups of the lysine core template.Deprotection/Resin Cleavage.

1.) The peptide-resin is rinsed sequentially and 3 time each with DMF,DCM and diethyl ether. The peptide is then allowed to air dry for about30 min, and is then dried overnight in a lyophilizer.

2.) The side chain protecting groups are then deprotected using95:2.5:2.5 TFA/water/triisopropyl silane. This reaction is performed atroom temperature with shaking for about 2 hours.

3.) The deprotection solution is then drained into a waste container.The resin is washed sequentially and 3 times each with DMF, DCM, anddiethyl ether. The resulting material is allowed to air dry for about 30min and is thene returned to the lyophilizer to dry overnight.

4.) The transesterification/cleavage reaction is performed at 50° C. andwith shaking/stirring over night in the presence of a solution that is5:5:1 Benzyl amine/tetrahydrofuran (THF)/triethylamine (TEA), Benzylalcohol/tetrahydrofuran (THF)/triethylamine (TEA) andNonylamine/tetrahydrofuran (THF)/triethylamine (TEA), respectively, toobtain the above three final products. For every 111 mL of the solution,add about 15 mg of solid KCN is added as a catalyst. This component ofthe reaction mixture containing the final product is then precipitatedin ether and purified on reverse phase HPLC. Molecular weights areverified by MIS, for example, using a Bruker MALDI-TOF spectrometer,which in the present instances, were in agreement with theoreticalmasses: Compound 10—Den(RW)_(4D)-Benzyl amine, M.W.1932.3; Compound11—Den(RW)_(4D)-Benzyl ester, M.W.1933.3; and Compound12—Den(RW)_(4D)-Nonylamine, M.W.1968.5.

The following representative amino acids are used for L² dipeptidelinkers are as set forth with Scheme 1 and Compounds 1-9. Therepresentative groups used for substitution at the position occupied byZ, are as follows:

EXAMPLES

The following examples are presented in order to more fully illustratethe preferred embodiments of the invention. They should in no way beconstrued, however, as limiting the broad scope of the invention.

Example 1 Antibacterial Activity Antibacterial and Hemolytic Assays

The antibacterial activity of each peptide was tested by followingstandard broth microdilution protocols recommended by the NationalCommittee for Clinical Laboratory Standard (NCCLS 2004). B. anthracis(32F2 Sterne) (gift from Dr. Martin Blaser, NYU Medical School); E.faecalis (29212), A. baumanii (ATCC BAA-747) and B. Subtilis (ATCC 6633)were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC;Rockville, Md.), respectively. Bacteria were grown in Mueller HintonBroth (MHB) at 37° C. for overnight. Then, cultures were diluted in MHBto a final concentration of 2×10⁴ to 2×10⁵ CFU/mL. Bacterial inoculawere incubated at 37° C. in PBS buffer (high salt, 150 mM NaCl; lowsalt, 75 mM NaCl), pH 7.2, with varying volumes of 2-fold dilution ofpeptide stocks. The 18-hour absorbance data were used to calculate thepercent inhibition for each sample by comparing with the absorbance ofcultures without peptides. Bacterial growth was measured by turbidity asoptical density at 600 nm using a Genesys 5 Spectrophotometer(Rochester, N.Y.). All assays were carried out in triplicate.

Hemolytic activity of model peptides was assessed on fresh sheeperythrocytes (Fitzgerald Inc., Concord, Mass.). Peptide concentrationsyielding 50% hemolysis were used as hemolytic dose (HD₅₀) determinedfrom dose-response curves. The red blood cell suspension was incubatedin PBS buffer (pH 7.2) with varying volumes of peptide stocks at 37° C.for 30 minutes, and then spun down at 3,000 rpm for 10 mins. Theresulting supernatant was diluted by a factor of 40 in distilled water.The absorbances of the supernatant at λ=540 nm (OD₅₄₀) were measured inthe UV Spectrophotometer. Zero hemolysis and 100% hemolysis controlswere obtained by incubating the cells with buffer and 1% Triton-X,respectively. Hemolytic index (HI) was defined as HI═HD₅₀/IC₅₀.

High Salt Vs Low Salt

Assays of antibacterial activity under various salt concentrations werecarried out to simulate salt effects under different physiologicalconditions. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC₅₀) of dendrimer(RW)_(4D), the naturally occurring antimicrobial peptide control,indolicidin and two control antibiotics were determined in no salt, low-(with 75 mM NaCl) and high-salt (with 150 mM NaCl) conditions. Relativeto indolicidin, the dendrimer (RW)_(4D) is more active againstampicillin- and streptomycin-resistant E. coli (D31) and multi-drugresistant strain S. aureus in all three salt concentrations. (RW)_(4D),with a mean MIC₅₀ of 3.8 μg/ml and 13.6 μg/ml against E. coli and S.aureus respectively, showed a 50% increase in MIC₅₀ value from no saltto high-salt condition. By contrast, linear indolicidin showed >100%increase in MIC₅₀ under the same conditions (Table 1).

TABLE 1 Salt effect on antibacterial activity of AMPs (μg/ml) ^(a)MIC₅₀, μg/ml ^(a) MIC₅₀, μg/ml ^(a) MIC₅₀, μg/ml 0 mM NaCl 75 mM NaCl150 mM NaCl S. S. S. AMPs E. coli aureus E. coli aureus E. coli aureusDen (RW)_(4D) 3.0 10 3.9 15 4.5 16 Indolicidin 24 15 43 20 52 33Gentamicin 1.2 51 1.2 51 1.2 51 Ceftazidime 44 63 44 63 44 63 ^(a) Theresults are the mean of three independent experiments performed inparallel.

Spectrum of Antibacterial Activity

It has been shown above that dendrimer (RW)_(4D) preferably killsgram-negative bacteria. We further evaluated the range of activity bytesting two AMPs and two antibiotics. against three other gram-positivebacteria. The dendrimer (RW)_(4D) displayed a spectrum of activity witha mean MIC₅₀ of 7.4 μg/ml against all test organisms. Even though thisnumber is higher than that of indolicidin (3.6 μg/ml), the much lowerhemolytic activity of dendrimer (RW)_(4D) makes it a betterantimicrobial agent in terms of its selectivity, as evaluated by HI(Table 2A). Furthermore, Den(KW)_(4D), Den(RY)_(4D), Den(KF)_(4D),Den(KY)_(4D), and Den(RF)_(4D) also showed antibacterial activityagainst E. coli, S. aureus and Acinetobacter. baumannii (ATCC BAA-747)(Table 2B).

The same evaluation was made with respect to Den(H*W)_(4D),Den(R-2Nal)_(4D) and Den(RW*)_(4D), and demonstrated comparable activitywith improvements in particular instances, over the results presented inTable 2B. Lastly, the tests performed with Den(RW)_(4D)-Benzyl amine,Den(RW)_(4D)-Benzyl ester and Den(RW)_(4D)-Nonylamine, demonstrated thatthese C-terminal substituted dendrimers had particularly increasedantimicrobial activity.

TABLE 2A Antibacterial spectrum of Den(RW)_(4D) against somegram-positive bacterial strains (μg/ml) ^(a) MIC₅₀, μg/ml ^(b) HD₅₀, HIAMPs B. subtilis B. anthracis E. faecalis μg/ml B. subtilis B. anthraxE. faecalis Den(RW)_(4D) 3.5 13 5.5 1410 402 105 256 Indolicidin 1.0 8.21.6 293 281 35.7 181 Gentamicin 0.32 3.1 0.36 >2000 / / / Ceftazidime6.2 91 14 >2000 / / / ^(a) The results are the mean of three independentexperiments performed in parallel. ^(b) HD₅₀ determined fromdose-response curve is peptide concentrations corresponding to 50%hemolysis.

TABLE 2B Antibacterial spectrum of Den(RF)_(4D), Den(RY)_(4D),Den(KW)_(4D), Den(KY)_(4D), and Den(KF)_(4D) against gram-positive andnegative bacterial strains (μg/ml) ^(a) MIC₅₀, μg/ml ^(b) HD₅₀, HI AMPsE. coli S. aureus A. baumannii μg/ml E. coli S. aureus A. baumanniiDen(KW)_(4D) 30.6 23.3 52 1459.3 47.69 62.63 28.06 Den(RY)_(4D) 12.645.7 193 2151 170.7 47.07 11.15 Den(KF)_(4D) 77 145 175 2500 33 17 14Den(KY)_(4D) 84.4 240 360 3740 44 16 10 Den(RF)_(4D) 30 180 160 2780 9015 17 ^(a) The results are the mean of three independent experimentsperformed in parallel. ^(b) HD₅₀ determined from dose-response curve ispeptide concentrations corresponding to 50% hemolysis.

TABLE 2C Antibacterial activity of Den(HW)4D, Den(R-2Nal)4D andDen(RW*)4D. ^(a) MIC₅₀, μg/ml ^(b) HD₅₀, HI AMPs E. coli S. aureus A.baumannii μg/ml E. coli S. aureus A. baumannii Den(HW)_(4D) 30.6 43.382.7 1860.2 60.8 43.3 22.5 Den(R-2Nal)_(4D) 21.5 36.0 51.3 1468.7 68.340.8 28.6 Den(RW*)_(4D) 9.3 13 35 2859.2 307.4 220.0 81.69 ^(a) Theresults are the mean of three independent experiments performed inparallel. ^(b) HD₅₀ determined from dose-response curve is peptideconcentrations corresponding to 50% hemolysis.

TABLE 2D Antibacterial activity of Den(RW)4D-Benzyl amine,Den(RW)4D-Benzyl ester and Den(RW)_(4D)-Nonylamine. ^(a) MIC₅₀, μg/ml HI(RW)_(4D)- (RW)_(4D)- (RW)_(4D)- (RW)_(4D)- Bacterial Benzyl Benzyl(RW)_(4D)- Benzyl Benzyl (RW)_(4D)- strains amine ester Nonylamine amineester Nonylamine A. baumannii 121 78.7 75.2 11.3 19.4 19.2 B. anthracis34.8 34.2 31.8 39.2 44.6 45.5 E. coli D31 21.3 29.7 26.7 64.1 51.3 54.1S. aureus 37.8 19.6 21.6 36.1 77.8 66.9 E. coli 12.8 14.3 15.8 106.7106.6 91.5 B. subitilis 5.0 6.8 6.5 273.1 224.2 222.4 E. faecalis 5.16.7 5.7 267.7 227.5 253.6 ^(b) RBC 1366 1524 1446 / / / ^(b) MIC₅₀ forRBC is HD₅₀

Example 2 Degradation or Inactivation of AMPs by Protease

AMPs were incubated with trypsin, either at a constant enzymeconcentration for various time intervals or with varied concentrationsof trypsin for 1 hr, and the antibacterial activity was then determinedusing standard broth microdilution protocols with E. coli and S. aureusas the target bacteria.

Proteolytic Stability

Trypsin digestion experiments. Dendrimer (RW)_(4D) or indolicidin at theconcentration of their MIC₅₀ was mixed with trypsin to a series of finaltrypsin concentrations (200 nm, 400 nm, 600 nm, 800 nm and 1000 nm) inPBS buffer at pH 7.4 in microtubes. Enzymatic digestions were carriedout at 37° C. for 1 hr and stopped by adding Type I trypsin inhibitor tothe samples. Aliquots were added to 96 well plates containing E. coli orS. aureus. Then MICs were determined by the standard broth microdilutionprotocols. AMPs without trypsin and trypsin inhibited in variousconcentrations were used as control. The antibacterial activity ofsamples is expressed in percentage of that of samples without trypsintreatment (Sieprawska-Lupa et al. 2004).

Results of Trypsin Digestion Experiments

Incubation time variation. Dendrimer (RW)_(4D) and indolicidin at theMIC₅₀ concentrations are incubated with 1 μM trypsin (maximumconcentration tested in above experiments) for various incubating timeintervals up to 24 hrs. At selected times, samples were collected andtrypsin inhibitor was added to stop the reaction. The antimicrobialactivity of each sample against E. coli and S. aureus was assayed in thestandard broth microdilution protocols. AMPs without trypsin and in thepresence of various concentration of inhibited trypsin were used ascontrols. The antibacterial activity of samples is expressed inpercentage of that of samples without trypsin treatment.

The data from these experiments indicate that trypsin inactivates theantibacterial activity of indolicidin in a time- andconcentration-dependent manner (FIG. 1). After indolicidin was treatedwith 100 nM trypsin for 1 hr or 1 μM trypsin for 2-5 min, itsantibacterial activity decreased to 25-30% of the untreated control. Bycontrast, the antibacterial activity of (RW)_(4D) was resistant toinactivation by trypsin at high concentration, and over various timeintervals.

Cytotoxicity Assays

Cytotoxicity activity of peptides was assessed on a 3T3 mouse fibroblastcell line. The cells were grown in 96 well plates and a 100 μl aliquotof a three fold serial dilution of the peptides was dispensed into eachwell. Buffer alone was used as the positive control and H₂O₂ was used asthe negative control. MTS (metallothionein) was added to each well priorto incubation to visualize the cells. The cells were incubated for 24hours and their absorbance were measured at λ=495 nm.

Cytotoxicity Results

Some cationic AMPs are very highly toxic to mammalian cells, e.g., beevenom melittin, whereas others show little or no acute cytotoxicity(Hancock and Diamond 2000). We assayed the cytotoxic activity ofpeptides on a 3T3 mouse fibroblast cell line with favorable results. TheIC₅₀ is approximately 1381 μg/mL for the dendrimer (RW)_(4D) (FIG. 2),indicating that multivalent AMPs have low cytotoxicity.

Dye Leakage Assay

To confirm that the multivalent AMPs interact with and disruptphospholipid bilayers, we measured the ability of dendrimer (RW)_(4D) toinduce leakage of calcein, entrapped within the interior of largeunilamellar vesicles of model membrane POPG(1-Palmitoyl-2-Oleoyl-sn-Glycero-3-[Phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)]) withnegatively charged head group. The leakage of vesicle contents to theAMPs was monitored by the release of calcein encapsulated in largeunilamellar vesicles. The method of preparation of dye-encapsulatedvesicles has been reported in detail (Torchilin and Weissig 2003). Inshort, large unilamellar POPG vesicles were prepared by reverse-phaseevaporation. After evaporating the organic solvent, residue werehydrated with the calcein solution (100 mM) in buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl pH7.4). The free calcein was removed by eluting through a Sephadex G-50size-exclusion column in the same buffer. The leakage process wasmonitored by following the increase of calcein fluorescence intensity at515 nm (excitation at 490 nm) after 20 μL of AMPs at differentconcentrations were added to 10 μL of vesicle solution mixed in 2 mL ofTBS buffer. Complete leakage was achieved by addition of 100 uL of 20%Triton X-100 to the 2 ml solution, and the corresponding fluorescenceintensity was used as 100% leakage for the calculation of leakagefraction.

The extent of leakage of encapsulated calcein caused by peptides wasdetected by its fluorescence at 515 nm (FIG. 3). The result is that(RW)_(4D) caused calcein leakage in a concentration-dependent manner.The concentration at which peptide caused 50% dye leakage was 0.5 μg/ml,approximately 30-fold lower than the MIC₅₀ values for S. aureus.

Example 3 Computational Simulation for Studying Mechanism of Dendrimer(RW)_(4D)

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out on dendrimer(RW)_(4D) in an n-octane/water interfacial system. In the present work,the core of dendrimer is polyamidoamine instead of trilysine core (Hanet al. 2005). The initial conformations were randomly generated andequilibrated in aqueous solution. The starting position of dendrimermolecules was located at the interface of n-octane/water. The wholesystem then contained 301 n-octane and 2674 water molecules, and 8chloride ions, totally 16104 atoms in a 50×50×60 angstrom̂3 box. Samplingwas over 2 ns in an isothermal-isobaric ensemble at T=300 K and P=1 atm.The MD simulations were preformed with Amber 8 molecular dynamicspackage (Case et al. 2004).

MD simulations were carried out on dendrimer (RW)_(4D) in an-octane/water interfacial system. It was found that, in the waterphase, four branches spread out of the core of the dendrimer, and thatArg/Trp residues in the same branch lie close to each other via cation-λinteractions. Hydrophobic interactions betweenTrp residues can also beobserved. In such a conformation, once the multivalent AMPs were movedto the interface, they rapidly exposed the polar guanidine groups intothe water with the indole ring side chains into the n-octane phase (FIG.4).

Example 4 Summary for the Inhibition of E. Coli Biofilm Formation byPoly-Peptides Biofilm Assay:

E. coli RP437 was used to form biofilms on ¼×½ inch stainless steelcoupons. The overnight E. coli culture grown in LB was used to inoculatethe biofilm cultures to OD₆₀₀ of 0.05 as measured by a Genesis 5Spectrophotometer (Spectronic Instruments, Rochester, N.Y.). Thestainless steel (S.S.) coupons were polished using a fine 3M S andBlaster sandpaper, then autoclaved for sterilization. The S.S. couponswere incubated in a plastic petri dish (60×15 mm) containing 7 mL LBmedium supplemented with hexamer or dendrimer (25 μg/mL and 50 μg/mL)respectively at 37° C. without shaking for 24 hours. For all thetreatments, duplicate coupons were tested.

Staining Assay:

To analyze the E. coli biofilms using fluorescence microscopy, thebiofilms were stained with Live/Dead BacLight™ bacterial viability kit(Cat# L7012, Invitrogen Corporation, California). Each S.S. coupon waswashed gently by dipping vertically in 0.85% NaCl buffer three times(change to fresh buffer after each dipping). Then, they were soaked in 1mL of 0.85% NaCl buffer containing 3 μl of staining component A and B(1:4) in the dark for 15 mins. Images were taken by AXIO Imager.M1 (CarlZeiss, German). Five images were taken for each sample. Data wereobtained and are presented in Table 3, below, as well as in FIG. 5.

TABLE 3 Biofilm coefficients Live cells Dead cells Total biofilms Blankcontrol 19.76% ± 2.39%  0.37% ± 0.16% 20.16% ± 2.44% Hexamer 25 μg/mL5.18% ± 1.57% 12.29% ± 2.00%  17.49% ± 2.20% 50 μg/mL 4.25% ± 1.55%12.22% ± 2.02%  16.68% ± 2.11% Dendrimer 25 μg/mL 4.42% ± 2.30% 7.11% ±1.93% 11.16% ± 3.09% 50 μg/mL 2.32% ± 1.12% 5.05% ± 1.47%  7.06% ± 1.91%Note: Means (±standard deviation) with the same letter are notsignificantly different. All the statistical analysis was conducted bySAS 9.1.

Results and Conclusions:

1. Both the hexamer and dendrimer showed significant decrease of livecells and increase of dead cells in E. coli biofilms formed on stainlesssteel coupons.

2. Total biofilm formation was significantly reduced by 50 μg/mL ofhexamer compared with blank control, while 25 μg/mL of hexamer was notsignificant (based on ANOVA analysis).

3. Total biofilm formation was significantly reduced by 25 μg/mL and 50μg/mL of dendrimer compared with blank control (ANOVA results)

3. The properties of biofilm inhibition by the hexamer and the dendrimercan be described as follows:

Live cells: control<25 μg/mL hexamer ≈50 μg/mL hexamer ≈25 μg/mLdendrimer<50 μg/mL dendrimer (“≈” means the data is not statisticallysignificant).Total biofilms: control≈25 μg/mL hexamer≈50 μg/mL hexamer<25 μg/mLdendrimer<50 μg/mL dendrimer

Maximum thickness of the biofilms were not significantly different (allwere around 10 μm)

Based on the results, it can be concluded that both the hexamer and thedendrimer can greatly reduce live cells in E. coli biofilm on stainlesssteel coupons. The dendrimer showed better biofilm inhibition propertiesthan the hexamer in this environment.

Example 5 CFU Assay to Study the Inhibition of E. Coli RP437 Biofilms byPeptides

Twenty-four hour biofilms of E. coli RP437 were grown on stainless steelcoupons in LB medium containing up to 100 μg/mL of the threeantimicrobial peptides—dendrimer, hexamer, and octamer. CFU counts wereused to determine the extent of inhibition. The procedure of the studyis as follows.

Method. Overnight Cultures of E. coli RP437 Grown in LB Medium were usedto Inoculate

5 mL of LB supplemented with up to 100 μg/mL of each peptide andpolished, sterile 316L stainless steel coupons (1.2 cm×0.6 cm×0.1 cm).The cultures were incubated at 37° C. for 24 hours. The coupons werethen removed from the bacterial culture using sterile forceps and washedthree times in 0.85% NaCl buffer and placed in round-bottom tubescontaining 3 mL of fresh NaCl buffer. These were then sonicated for 1.5minutes in a water bath. The NaCl buffer containing bacterial cells wasserially diluted and 60 μL of 1000 and 5000 fold dilutions were platedon LB agar plates. The plates were incubated at 37° C. overnight. Thenumber of CFUs for each sample was counted after incubation. Theexperiment was conducted in duplicate.

Results.

At higher concentrations, the dendrimer was most effective in inhibitingE. coli biofilm, while the octamer was least effective. At 50 μg/mL ofthe hexamer, octamer, and dendrimer, the E. coli viable biofilm cellcounts were reduced by 81%, 54%, and 94%, respectively. Consistently,100 μg/mL of the hexamer, octamer, and the dendrimer reduced the biofilmviable cell counts by 87%, 54%, and 95%, respectively. The hexamer wasmost effective in biofilm inhibition at lower concentrations of 25 μg/mLwith 49% biofilm reduction. Although most effective at higherconcentrations, the dendrimer was ineffective at 25 μg/mL and reducedviable biofilm cell counts by 21% in 35 μg/mL. Bar charts representingE. coli biofilm inhibition by each of the peptides are shown in FIGS.7A-C.

Example 6 Effect Against Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria

A dendrimer prepared in accordance with the invention was tested againstmulti-drug resistant MRSA gram-positive bacteria, and E. coli(D31)gram-negative bacteria. The results of the tests demonstrate a 3-logdecrease in bacteria remaining after contact with the dendrimer(RW)_(4D) for one hour, and shows that the dendrimer could rapidly killmultidrug resistant gram-positive MRSA and gram-negative E. coli(D31)resistant bacteria. The results are graphically presented in FIG. 8.

In a further experiment, antibacterial activity under physiologicalconditions was tested. The MIC₅₀ was determined in the presence of 90%human serum, respectively. The results of this test are depicted in FIG.9, and demonstrate that human serum cannot completely block theantimicrobial activity of (RW)_(4D). This suggests that dendrimers ofthe invention such as (RW)_(4D) may have potential application as aninjectable drug, and would not be limited to topical applications.

The gram-negative bacteria, Acineto Baumannii, can cause infections,fever and pneumonia and is becoming another serious problem in hospitalsand nursing homes. The so-called superbug is very drug-resistant toconventional antibiotics. In the data presented in FIGS. 10A and 10B, itis demonstrated that (RW)_(4D) can kill the bacteria and inhibit itsgrowth at very low concentration.

Additional testing included Live/Dead staining depicted in FIG. 11. TheLIVE/DEAD staining assay demonstrates the membrane disturbing activityof (RW)_(4D) in vivo. After 1 hr incubation with 10 uM (RW)_(4D), bothgram-positive MRSA and gram-negative A. baumannii cells show damagedmembranes in red color because of staining with the membrane impermeablered fluorescent nucleic acid stain propidium iodide. Bacteria withintact membranes are stained with the membrane permeable greenfluorescent nucleic acid stain SYTO 9. By contrast, vancomycin did notactively kill multidrug resistant MRSA and A. baumannii.

Example 7

In this further test, visualization of membrane permeation presented inFIGS. 12A and 12B, was demonstrated by rhodamine-labeled (RW)_(4D),using confocal laser scanning microscopy, showed that (RW)_(4D) enteredE. coli cells after 5 min of incubation and clustered in discretepatches, often situated at the cell poles. There were no significantdifferences between E. coli images taken after 5 and 300 min ofincubation with 40 nM (RW)_(4D). This suggests that dendrimers such as(RW)_(4D) have potential to serve as lead compounds for molecular designof antibiotics attacking negatively charged intracellular targets otherthan the membrane, such as DNA and RNA.

Example 8

The effect of dendrimers of the invention on E. coli biofilm formationwas further examined and measured. The development of a bacterialbiofilm allows for the bacteria to become more antibiotic resistant. Totest whether dendrimeric (RW)_(4D) has effect on biofilm formation, E.coli (RP437) was used to form biofilms in 96 well plates with andwithout different concentrations of peptides. Results showed (RW)_(4D)exhibited inhibition of E. coli biofilm formation. Assay summary: E.coli (RP437) was used to form biofilms in 96 well plates with andwithout different concentrations of peptides. After 24 hours incubation,the plates with biofilms were washed and dried 0.1% crystal violet wasadded to each well and incubated for 20 min after extra dye was removed,OD₅₄₀ was measured to quantify the biofilms on the bottom of wells. Then95% ethanol was added into each well and OD540 was measured to quantifythe total biofilm. The results are graphically presented in FIGS. 13Aand 13B.

Example 9

E. coli biofilm inhibition by (RW)_(4D) was also studied on stainlesssteel coupons. Microscope images were taken after staining the two-daybiofilms with Live/Dead staining solution. The images shows the totalbiofilm formation on stainless steel coupons was significantly reducedby 25 μg/mL (RW)_(4D) compared with blank control. Assay summary: E.coli RP437 was used to form biofilms in a plastic dish with stainlesssteel coupons and different concentrations of peptides. After 48 hoursincubation, coupon was soaked in NaCl buffer containing stainingcomponent in the dark for 15 mins. The results are visually presented inFIGS. 14A and 14B.

Example 10

In this example, the compounds of this invention are shown to be capableof use in the formulation of peptide hydrogels to create sterilizedsynthetic extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds. First, dendrimericpeptides are dissolved in sterile H₂O to a concentration of 4 wt %.Aliquots (75 mL) of peptide stock were added to desired wells in a 48well tissue culture plate (Costar 3548). DMEM (cell culture mediamedium) (75 mL, serum-free) was added to the same wells and the solution(2 wt % in peptide) was incubated for several hours to allow the gel toset. The resultant gels were equilibrated to cell culture conditions byaddition of DMEM (200 mL) and incubation at 37° C. and 5% CO₂ overnight.This media (200 mL) is removed prior to addition of cells. The resultsof resistance studies establishing the activity of the formed hydrogelsare presented in FIGS. 15 A and 15B.

Multidrug-resistant gram-positive S. aureus and gram-negative E. coli(D31) did not show resistance to Den(RW)_(4D) over 250 generations, andmaintained the same MIC₉₀ value.

Discussion

The above disclosure corresponds to the objectives of the inventors, tofocus on the study of a group of unstructured antimicrobial peptides(AMPs), in part because they lack specific structural constraints andadopt a more extended structure, but also because they are composed of ahigh frequency of certain amino acids, including Trp (W), Phe (F), Lys(K), Arg (R) and Tyr (Y) (van't H of et al. 2001).

Propensity studies of amino acids in membrane proteins suggest that theresidues lysine, arginine, tyrosine and tryptophan occur more frequentlyat the terminal regions of transmembrane helices (Schiffer et al. 1992;Vonheijne 1992; Reithmeier 1995; Wimley and White 1996; Braun and vonHeijne 1999; Ridder et al. 2000). It is suggested that these aromatic orcharged residues serve to anchor membrane-spanning proteins atinterfacial regions in the membrane (Schiffer et al. 1992; Reithmeier1995; Killian and von Heijne 2000; de Planque and Killian 2003). Indeed,these residues, tend to line the hydrophilic-hydrophobic membraneinterface (Deisenhofer and Michel 1989; Henderson et al. 1990; Meers1990; Chattopadhyay and McNamee 1991; Hu et al. 1993). Trp residuesmight be involved in the translocation of protein through the membrane.Following translocation, Trp residues could serve as anchors on theperiplasmic side of the membrane, an important feature for membraneprotein activity (Hu et al. 1993; Ketchem et al. 1993; Koeppe et al.1994), selectivity (Bogusz et al. 1992; Durell and Guy 1992), foldingand assembly (Schiffer et al. 1992). Positively charged Lys and Argresidues predominantly occur in cytoplasmic loops (Schiffer et al. 1992;Vonheijne 1994) (Landoltmarticorena et al. 1993) and are proposed to“snorkel” to the membrane surface where they can interact with thephosphate groups of phospholipid head groups (Mishra et al. 1994;Strandberg and Killian 2003).

To mimic the structural features of some unstructured AMPs and membranebinding proteins, a series of dendrimeric dipeptides presented herein,were designed with combinations of one lipophilic (bulky) amino acid andone positively charged amino acid. Accordingly, the dendrimericantimicrobial peptide Den(RW)_(4D), Den(RF)_(4D), Den(RY)_(4D),Den(KW)_(4D), Den(KY)_(4D), and Den(KF)_(4D) display the four brancheddipeptides with balanced numbers of positively charged and hydrophobicside chains: RW, RF, RY, KW, KY, and KF (see scheme 1), emerging as thebest candidates among our de novo designs for potent AMPs. Theseproducts are relatively small in size and easily synthesized compared tonatural or synthetic AMPs in many other studies. This feature lowers themanufacturing cost and facilitates chemical synthesis in largequantities.

From the above data, it can be seen that these dendrimeric AMPs showpotent broad-spectrum antibacterial activity with resistance to highsalt inhibition and protease digestion, low cytotoxity, the ability toinhibit the formation of unwanted microbial biofilms, and to showefficacy against multi-drug resistant microbes. The results of thisresearch together with further lead optimization is anticipated toprovide novelantibacterials for therapeutic use againstmultidrug-resistant bacterial strains.

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From the foregoing description, various modifications and changes in thecompositions and methods of this invention will occur to those skilledin the art. All such modifications coming within the scope of theappended claims are intended to be included therein.

It is further understood that all base sizes or amino acid sizes, andall molecular weight or molecular mass values, given for nucleic acidsor polypeptides are approximate, and are provided for description.

All publications, including but not limited to patents and patentapplications, cited in this specification are herein incorporated byreference as if each individual publication were specifically andindividually indicated to be incorporated by reference herein as thoughfully set forth.

1. An antimicrobial peptide according to formula I:

wherein each L¹ is —(CH₂)_(n)—; n is 2, 3, 4 or 5; each L² is adipeptide or a tripeptide linker; and Z is selected from substituted orunsubstituted amino, hydroxy, substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy, andsubstituted or unsubstituted aryloxy; or a pharmaceutically acceptablesalt thereof; and stereoisomers, isotopic variants and tautomersthereof.
 2. The peptide of claim 1, wherein each L¹ is selected from—CH₂—CH₂—, —CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—, and —CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—.
 3. The peptide of claim1, wherein each L¹ is —CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—.
 4. The peptide of claim 1,wherein each L² is selected from RWW, RFF, RYY, KWW, KYY and KFF.
 5. Thepeptide of claim 1, wherein each L² is selected from WWR, FFR, YYR, WWK,YYK and FFK.
 6. The peptide of claim 1, wherein each L² is selected fromRW, RW*, RF, RY, R-2Nal, H*W, KW, KY and KF.
 7. The peptide of claim 1,wherein each L² is selected from WR, W*R, FR, YR, 2Nal-R, WH*, WK, YKand FK.
 8. (canceled)
 9. (canceled)
 10. (canceled)
 11. (canceled) 12.(canceled)
 13. (canceled)
 14. (canceled)
 15. (canceled)
 16. (canceled)17. The peptide of claim 1, wherein each Z is selected from NH₂, OH,substituted or unsubstituted alkylamino, substituted or unsubstitutedarylamino, substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy, and substituted orunsubstituted aryloxy.
 18. The peptide of claim 1, wherein each Z isselected from NH₂, alkylamino, arylamino, alkoxy and aryloxy.
 19. Thepeptide of claim 1, wherein each Z is selected from NH₂, nonylamino,benzyl amino, and benzoxy.
 20. (canceled)
 21. (canceled)
 22. (canceled)23. (canceled)
 24. A peptide according to claim 1, wherein the peptideis according to formula II:

and wherein each L² and Z is as in claim
 1. 25. The peptide of claim 24,wherein each L² is selected from RWW, RFF, RYY, KWW, KYY and KFF. 26.The peptide of claim 24, wherein each L² is selected from WWR, FFR, YYR,WWK, YYK and FFK.
 27. The peptide of claim 24, wherein each L² isselected from RW, RW*, RF, RY, R-2Nal, H*W, KW, KY and KF.
 28. Thepeptide of claim 24, wherein each L² is selected from WR, W*R, FR, YR,2Nal-R, WH*, WK, YK and FK.
 29. (canceled)
 30. (canceled)
 31. (canceled)32. (canceled)
 33. (canceled)
 34. (canceled)
 35. (canceled) 36.(canceled)
 37. (canceled)
 38. The peptide of claim 24, wherein each Z isselected from NH₂, OH, substituted or unsubstituted alkylamino,substituted or unsubstituted arylamino, substituted or unsubstitutedalkoxy, and substituted or unsubstituted aryloxy.
 39. The peptide ofclaim 24, wherein each Z is selected from NH₂, alkylamino, arylamino,alkoxy and aryloxy.
 40. The peptide of claim 24, wherein each Z isselected from NH₂, nonylamino, benzylamino, and benzyloxy. 41.(canceled)
 42. (canceled)
 43. (canceled)
 44. (canceled)
 45. A peptideaccording to claim 1, wherein the peptide is according to formula III:

and wherein each L² and Z is as in claim
 1. 46. The peptide of claim 45,wherein each L² is selected from RWW, RFF, RYY, KWW, KYY and KFF. 47.The peptide of claim 45, wherein each L² is selected from WWR, FFR, YYR,WWK, YYK and FFK.
 48. The peptide of claim 45, wherein each L² isselected from RW, RW*, RF, RY, R-2Nal, H*W, KW, KY and KF.
 49. Thepeptide of claim 45, wherein each L² is selected from WR, W*R, FR, YR,2Nal-R, WH*, WK, YK and FK.
 50. (canceled)
 51. (canceled)
 52. (canceled)53. (canceled)
 54. (canceled)
 55. (canceled)
 56. (canceled) 57.(canceled)
 58. (canceled)
 59. The peptide of claim 45, wherein each Z isselected from NH₂, OH, substituted or unsubstituted alkylamino,substituted or unsubstituted arylamino, substituted or unsubstitutedalkoxy, and substituted or unsubstituted aryloxy.
 60. The peptide ofclaim 45, wherein each Z is selected from NH₂, alkylamino, arylamino,alkoxy and aryloxy.
 61. The peptide of claim 45, wherein each Z isselected from NH₂, nonylamino, benzylamino, and benzyloxy. 62.(canceled)
 63. (canceled)
 64. (canceled)
 65. (canceled)
 66. (canceled)67. (canceled)
 68. (canceled)
 69. (canceled)
 70. (canceled) 71.(canceled)
 72. (canceled)
 73. (canceled)
 74. (canceled)
 75. (canceled)76. (canceled)
 77. (canceled)
 78. A pharmaceutical compositioncomprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and a pharmaceuticallyeffective amount of the peptide of claim
 1. 79. The pharmaceuticalcomposition of claim 78, wherein the carrier is a parenteral carrier,oral or topical carrier.
 80. A method for preventing, treating,ameliorating or managing a disease or condition which comprisesadministering to a patient in need of such prevention, treatment,amelioration or management, a prophylactically or therapeuticallyeffective amount of the pharmaceutical composition of claim
 78. 81. Themethod of claim 80, wherein the disease or condition is or results froma bacterial infection.
 82. The method of claim 80, wherein the diseaseor condition is or results from a viral infection.
 83. The method ofclaim 80, wherein the disease or condition is or results from a fungalinfection.
 84. A method for preventing, treating, ameliorating ormanaging a disease or condition, which comprises administering to apatient in need of such prevention, treatment, amelioration ormanagement a prophylactically or therapeutically acceptable amount of apeptide of claim 1 wherein the disease or condition results from or iscaused by bacterial infection, viral infection or fungal infection. 85.A therapeutic composition comprising a peptide of claim 1, prepared as ahydrogel.